SNP LEADER Nicola Sturgeon was delivered a shock verdict on whether an independent Scotland would gain entry in the EU by Lord David Owen, during an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.

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Britain left the European Union on January 31, but not everyone in the UK has given up on EU membership. Despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeatedly rejecting her independence calls, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is still determined to hold a second referendum this year. The Scottish National Party leader believes Scots are being “dragged” out of the bloc against their will.

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However, while Brexit might have made the case for Scottish independence stronger, it has also made it practically more difficult.

An independent Scotland would now border a non-EU country, likely requiring infrastructure and border checks between regions whose communities are deeply intertwined – similar to the problem of the Irish border that severely complicated Brexit talks.

Scotland could also be rejected by Brussels due to its current deficit of seven percent of GDP, unless it adopted a strict austerity programme from the EU, as well as potentially adopting the euro.

Moreover, new members can only be allowed into the bloc through a unanimous vote from the existing member states – and Holyrood would undoubtedly ruffle feathers if it were to join.

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"They sit on a very uneasy arrangement between two parts of Belgium, and they are not going to legitimise the splitting of a country.

"Once you allow it, you open up a can of worms."

Lord Owen's claims were brought into the open in 2016, when the EU's national governments did not even want to hold bilateral talks with the SNP as Ms Sturgeon tried to protect Scotland’s status in the bloc after the Brexit referendum.

In a 2016 report by The Telegraph, the publication’s Scottish political editor Simon Johnson recalled how Ms Sturgeon visited Brussels a few days after the majority of Britons voted to leave the bloc.

The First Minister met up with former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, but EU member states and the former President of the EU Council Donald Tusk refused to engage in talks with her.